October 12, 2010

According to Darren Goode at The Hill, the decision on whether or not to allow the use of E15 in 2007 and newer vehicles is expected to be announced tomorrow.

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce Wednesday that a higher blend of ethanol in gasoline is safe to use in newer vehicles, but not safe for engines in cars as much as a decade old, sources said.

The decision on whether or not to allow E15 in 2001 through 2006 vehicles isn't expected until close to the end of the year.

POET CEO Jeff Broin had the following to say about the expected decision.

"Approval of E15 in 2007 and newer vehicles is a positive first step toward opening the market for more ethanol to compete with gasoline. However, the EPA must move quickly to take the next step: approval of E15 for use in older vehicles.

"The arguments being made right now against E15 are the same as those made about E10 back in the late 1980s, when I entered the ethanol industry. Seventy billion gallons later, we have proven those arguments false, just as research on E15 is proving critics wrong today.

"Greater market access will help give investors the needed confidence to commit to bringing cellulosic ethanol to commercial scale. Many projects, POET's Project LIBERTY among them, are ready for commercialization but hindered by unnecessary limits on ethanol content in fuel."